So far, so good. All easy peasy paint projects with a neutral blue and gray color palette. But, the room needed color. Fun, kid friendly, bright color. And we went back and forth on a variety of options. Originally, we thought red. It was the color of many of his sports uniforms and looks great with blue. In fact, we went that route in the boy's shared bedroom right next door, so I knew I loved the look. However, when paired with the plaid gray bedding, it started to feel too country rustic, which can be super amazing, it just didn't fit the plan for the room or Preston's lifestyle. So, I asked him, which is the logical thing to do right? I put paint swatches and spray paint can covers in his room and asked him to pick his favorite. He went with orange. I wanted green. We weren't seeing eye to eye, but it was his bedroom and when I found the perfect blue, teal gray, gray, white and orange pillow on Joss & Main, I knew he was right and we now had a new bedroom color scheme!

I started out by painting the bronze lamp next to his bedside with some leftover wall paint {Behr's Frozen Pond}...

But the real reason I wanted color was to do something with the curtains. The side of the room with the window was looking quite blah, and it is the first thing you see when walking in the space. We had hung floor to ceiling cream curtains in there a year or two ago, but it stopped there. We didn't even take the time to hem them, so they were puddled on the floor. It was time to do something about it!

I thought about all sorts of options and was about to order some patterned navy fabric, when I decided that it was such a waste when the curtains he had were functioning perfectly, and basically a blank canvas to play with.

So, being the blog hopper I am, I instantly thought about all of those pretty painted stripe curtains and knew instantly that was the route that I had to go.

Sure, I could have done a different pattern or stencil, but with the chevron, plaid and herringbone additions already, stripes were not only a new pattern for the space, but a simple one! Hurrah! And all it would cost is the price of a quart of flat paint, mixed to the perfect shade of orange.

The oranges shown on the pillow are fun, but a little on the bright side. I thought that toning it down a smidge and going with a more rusty orange would be a smart move on the curtains. So, I selected Behr's Tibetan Orange.

Painting the curtains was quite simple and impactful. Here are the supplies I used:

Large drop cloth

1 quart of tinted paint

Foam roller and tray

Painters tape

Tape measure

We {the hubs and I}, spread the curtain panel out over the top of some drop cloths and measured 6 inches down the curtains in four sections to ensure nice, straight lines.

Then, we taped and rolled!

I found that the paint covered quite well, and didn't even leak through the panels. I also found that the curtains sucked up that paint like a sponge, and to be patient as I rolled nice even sections.

The paint went on a bit shiny when wet yet dried in a nice matte sheen. I left the tape on the panel until I hung it so that I could grab a brush and do some touch ups as the light would shine through the panel and show any missed areas. Then, the tape came off and the lines were amazing!

The orange won in so many ways. Preston was all, "I told ya so!" and I was all proud that he made such a good color choice and stood his ground.

The color works great with the globe and a few of his desk accessories.

Here is a close up look of the paint on fabric beauty:

Not too bad eh? I love that it was such a small investment of paint to make a huge dramatic difference in the space! The power of paint is really showing through in this bedroom update!

And the painted lamp looks great too!

Some extra things to note: I did use a textile medium which I mixed with the paint for the curtains, however, I have read that textile medium only works with acrylic paints vs. latex paint. The paint adhered very well, yet the curtains are a bit stiff in the painted areas, so I am unsure if the fabric medium did in fact work. The stiffness works in the favor of the curtains because it allows you to mold your folds in the panels for a nice even look on both sides. Also, we washed the curtains prior and hemmed them after with a no sew heat & bond hem tape.

So there you have it! Another stripe success story for window treatments. Absolutely a no fail option when looking for a quick, easy and inexpensive way to update your room!

Who else has hopped on the stripe curtain bandwagon? Are you enjoying the ride as much as we are? Have you ever been super impressed with the decorating choices made by your kiddo?

Ooh, Jen, this looks so awesome! That really is the perfect shade of orange & it just ties the room together so perfectly! The colors & patterns are modern and playful without looking too juvenile -- I think they will work for him for years to come!

Hmmm, so sorry to hear that! We used Frog Tape, which we love! But we also made sure to rub over each paint line prior to painting and were careful about how we applied paint over the tape {painting in a way that reduces the seepage}.

I have also heard that pulling the tape when the paint is wet, will help.

Great looking room!! The curtains are super. I recently did the exact same thing, except I used gray for the stripes. I also added the medium to help them not be so stiff, but my curtains are still stiff. I ironed the backside of them and that helped a little. My biggest issue was that the sun would shine right through the gray and it would appear blotchy, even after applying 2 coats and touch ups where needed. I ended up lining them with a similar color gray flat sheet (I'm a no-sew kind of gal, so used lots of hem and bond!), that took care of the problem while also adding extra darkness to the room when needed. Looking forward to the final reveal of this room!

I love love love the color of orange you picked! I actually like it 100 times better than the pillow. I also think the painted lamp looks great, but are you planning on doing anything to the lamp shade?

My first thought as I read through was "Wow! Love these curtains." My second thought was, "Can you wash them?" Will you please let us know how it works out when you wash the curtains? I have to be able to wash my curtains twice a year. Can't sleep at night if I don't.

I wondered the same thing. The stripes on the curtains don't look like they match the orange in the pillow. DO they match? Or did you purposely go for the different tone of orange? I'm trying to get out of the "matchy-matchy" feel, even with my clothing outfits, but sometimes its really hard:).

The stripes don't exactly match the orange in the pillow. The light is hitting the pillow so the differences are a little more noticeable in the photo, however, I intended on toning down the orange in the curtains a bit since they are such a bold statement and the first thing you see. The hope is to bring in many tones of orange as accents throughout the room, absolutely avoiding the "matchy matchy" feel.

love them! I was thinking of doing the same with my daughter's roman shades, but heard that I should use a paint medium, so the curtains would not be stiff once the paint dried. but, yours look fine...any thoughts on the paint medium?

The paint medium didn't seem to soften the curtains/paint too much, but I have heard using it with an acrylic paint vs a latex should help with that. The curtains still folded/rolled just fine with the stiffness from the paint, if anything, it seemed to help them form a little better.

I just painted my office curtains with blue stripes (can see them here http://www.six2eleven.net/2012/12/striped-curtain-tutorial.html) and even with paint medium, they were still stiff. Oh well! I just tell people not to touch them haha!

Those are so so cute, and I love the stripes and orange! Great color-picking Preston!! We don't have striped curtains (yet), but we have nice bright orange stripes on my son's wall!! Two years in and I still adore them!

Ok, I definitely am not an orange lover. Generally speaking, orange isn't allowed in our house (due to college football rivalries and the fact that it doesn't look good on any of us). HOWEVER, this room looks amazing! You are so right too. The stripes really play up the globe. Great job Preston and Jen!

Love how this turned out! Every time I see this painting-stripes-on-curtain project pop up on the www. I get an itch to try a color-gradient version. I think it would be uh-mazing!!!! It would take more time, though, as you'd have to wait for one stripe to dry before painting the next one....but I think it would be worth it!

Here is a link to the curtains I used: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40111987/?query=401.119.87 They are a great price, can be hemmed to the perfect length and the paint doesn't bleed through which was a huge win!

I actually purchased the set of panels from IKEA and they came with grommets: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40111987/?query=401.119.87 They are a great price, can be hemmed to the perfect length and the paint doesn't bleed through which was a huge win!

hi! I've been looking for blogs with photos of painted lamps. I was happy to see that it seems you used regular wall paint whereas most folks use spray paint. I live in a small condo with no garage, and spray painting risks getting toxic fumes and spray splatters all over my furniture. Can you tell me how well the paint worked on the lamp? Did you use a regular brush? Any help is appreciated!

I had a base of spray paint that I went over the top of {since the spray wasn't the color I was going for}, however, I think if you just used some primer, you would be OK and it would adhere just fine. I used a regular ol' brush too, and so far we have been really happy with the finish.

I love this, and am so glad I remembered you painting curtains in a blog post... because I am now embarking upon the same adventure. Found the link you posted for the ikea panels. Now I'm just wondering if you used a specific type of paint...fabric paint? I'm such a newbie painter, so I have no idea what type of paint to use. Thanks!

Hi I'm trying to paint some gray striped curtains for my bedroom. Have you had any problems with the paint flaking or coming off the curtains? We got a white blackout material and were wondering if we should invest in the pricey fabric paint or just get some regular paint?

Jen, I *love* this orange/teal combination that you found on Joss and Main!! I have been searching *forever* for bedding that will take my boys into their tweens and beyond. I realize you found it a few years ago, but I've got that feeling in my gut that tells me I've got to find a way to track this down or it'll haunt me every day...ever get that? :) Would you be willing to share any markings on the bedding -- a name brand or pattern name -- that may help me find it online? I'm sure you got a terrific deal on it but I would be game to pay full price ... it's that good! (I've already collected so many other pieces for this room along the way, and this pattern would complement everything so nicely.)

I won't drone on and on, but have one more thing to say ... I just came upon your blog for the first time today and can't stop reading. The post with your house tour is particularly amazing. Every single room in your house smiles. What a cheerful place. I now want to change everything in my home ... and we just finished renovating!

Hi, I loved your idea!! I just wonder, would the paint stay when you wash it? Or how do you even wash these curtains? my hands are itching to do this project lolss, but I just wanted to know ore info. thanks! Keep up with the great ideas!

I have heard that by washing the fabric first and by using a fabric medium, the curtains should be washable in the future. I haven't washed these yet to state how well the paint holds up however {they have remained quite clean so far}. I would imaging once the paint cures, a gentle wash with low to no heat in the dryer should be just fine.

Hai Jen,I LOVE THIS COLOR combination.. i have the same blue color theme for my 2 year old(almost 3) but its a brighter blue than this one and im planning to make a diy curtain for him but with bright red,originally i wanna do chevron by cutting of fabric but the more i sat in front of computer to look at pinterest the more option i could find to make a diy curtain with much more beautiful and cheaper also :) luckily i have IKEA store nearby and im planning to buy the same curtain like yours,can i know the measurement of your stripes from tops to bottom?(im so lazy when it comes to doing math LOL) im still thinking to make a bigger and ticker stripes or a thinner one,but i guess thinner stripes will be beautiful like yours!! i cant wait to do this..thank you so much for posting this it gave me an inspiration on how decorate my son's room :)

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